Woven

I tried to remember every detail, the weight of her in my arms, the almost-blue of her eyes, the shape of her eyelids as they closed.

I felt panic rise as the days passed and memories blurred, I couldn’t forget a thing. She was my daughter. I wouldn’t.

Repeating over and over in my mind our short moments, our last day, I hated that the edges of my memory were beginning to blur.

I called the hospital once, over a year after her death, convinced they might have one picture of her that we did not.

Praying they had some file containing one more piece for me to hold onto, I waited while the staff found a way to tell me there wasn’t anything more.

I was left with what I had. It needed to be enough.

There are still days I comb my brain for those memories, wish for something I might have forgotten, but I’ve made a bit of peace with time and its need to move forward.

I don’t remember Hadley’s life as a before and an after anymore. She’s woven into yesterday and today and is pulling a ribbon of light through tomorrow.

I will always wish for more time, more memories and the childhood she deserved, but I don’t count the months and years so much anymore. They’ve blended into an appreciation for the gift that was and always will be my daughter.

I love you.
Please never stop writing about Hadley and your love and your pain. You are helping so many in their respective journey’s heal and you are helping me understand —
You are such a gifted writer and such an amazing mother.
I think of you often.
Holdng you in my heart today xoxo

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About Me

I'm Jessica, 30-something mom to five, four in my arms and one in my heart.

On any given day you will find me taxi-ing a teenager, mopping up our latest "art project" and trying to remember when I turned the crock pot on… all the while, looking for the closest Starbucks drive thru. more